The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn
by BLUEanimeGIRL025
Summary: Is Just To Love, And Be Loved In Return. When Itachi murders his family, Sasuke is taken in by the Hyuga clan FTW and at 18, they decide on a marriage partner for him that benefits the family. Contains SasuNaru. MUCH better summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

_**Is Just To Love, and Be Loved In Return…**_

_**Summary: **__When Itachi decides to go all clan-killy on their family, Sasuke ends up getting adopted by the Hyuga family (FTW!), and when he hit's the age of 18, they decide on a marriage partner for him that best suits the family. However, Sasuke can't seem to stop chasing after a certain blonde dobe whom we all know and love! Then, suddenly when an uninvited guest decides to crash the rehearsal dinner, all hell breaks loose in Konoha! Will Sasuke be able to deal with the stress, or will the burden of responsibility crush him?_

* * *

_This IS a Yaoi! BoyxBoy love is to be expected. If there isn't any SasuNaru lovin', it just doesn't cut it. There will also be some sweet sibling love, but NOT incest (although I may not be able to resist matching up Neji with Hiniata. Again - FTW!). Know that the relationship between Sasuke and Hinata is purely a brother-sister bond, and nothing more._

_By the way, if you absolutely loathe the SasuSaku coupling, I am totally there. I hate it too, but it's kind of necessary for this story. Besides, it's an arranged marriage, interrupting the beauty of boy-on-boy; you're supposed to hate it. ;P_

_Also, just a BIT of OOC Sasuke is involved. If you didn't read my Crashed The Wedding! story, then I guess you wouldn't really understand. The resigned nature of a strangely meek Sasuke just kind of stuck with me. I think it's cute =)_

* * *

Something was wrong. It was nothing more than a dream, and he knew it… but something was definitely wrong.

Sasuke was an Uchiha after all, and even at the age of fourteen he was talented enough to know that he was dreaming, and sense the nature of his dreams. It would not be until later on in life that he would finally train himself to wake himself whenever he needed. Ninjas were supposed to sleep lightly, but he wasn't there quite yet.

Too bad he could not control his dreams, either. If he could, he would have stopped himself from taking that step forward, and then the other. In his dream, he was younger, a child, and a strange sound in the night had woken him. He was home again, in the Uchiha complex, but this was not the home that he recognized anymore. It was dark, and it was raining, but he was frightened, and he wanted to know what was going on. He progressed into the night, stepping cautiously and getting soaked. Mud and water squished in his sandals.

He would have stopped himself from moving forward any farther than that, because if Sasuke were awake and _not _dreaming, he would have known what late beyond the closed door that was suddenly in front of him. He would not have raised his tiny hand to push the wood forward. He would not have ever stepped inside that room. But being that this _was _a dream, the curiosity mingled with fear was what pushed him on. He opened the door, and just as it had been those some years ago, there was his once loving, kind, and thoughtful older brother… standing there above the bodies of their parents.

Sasuke shot out of bed, covered in sweat. Was it so unusual for a fourteen year old to have nightmares? Especially a fourteen year old who had witnessed the slaughtering of his entire family? Probably not, but he hated the dreams that kept haunting him. He hated not having the power to keep himself away from that closed door every night, even knowing full well while he was awake what would be beyond it.

He would not start berating himself until he was a little more awake, though, and so at the moment he was simply trying to catch his breath and keep the tears at bay. He did _hate_ crying. And being that he was not fully awake was why the shadow separating itself from the darkness beyond his bed scared him so much. Sasuke's heart was pounding, but at least he held tight to his will not to scream. A weight pressed down on the left side of his bed. Something was in the room with him.

"Dreams again?" Hinata whispered from the darkness.

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, but he would never admit to her that she had scared him half to death. "Hinata," he breathed. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was worried about you," she said, leaning forward so that her face could be seen in the moonlight from the window. Dark shadows threw themselves across the planes of her gentle face. "You told me you had bad dreams, and I heard you mumbling again so…."

It was so embarrassing. Sasuke never should have told her about the dreams. When she asked why she always heard him mumbling to himself at night, he should have told her that he was practicing jutsu on his own. However, it was a rare day when he could bring himself to lie to his adopted sister. She was too innocent, and she did not deserve the treatment that he reserved for everyone else. Yes, in the years since being adopted by the Hyuga family, one could say that he'd grown attached to Hinata. They'd had classes together at the academy, and had never once acknowledged one another until the tragedy, but somehow, a bond was formed between the two of them.

Hinata was quiet, and shy, as everyone knew. And Sasuke was quiet, and bitter. He taught her how to occasionally shake off her timid nature whenever she really needed to keep her back up, and she gave him insight into things about life that he never would have seen for himself. She had a way of looking at the world that was almost _too_ innocent; too naïve. She taught him a great deal, but it was almost inevitable that one day her naivety would work against her, and someone would try to hurt or take advantage of her. And that's what Sasuke was there for.

At first, it had been a bit of an annoyance - to have to stick to this girl to make sure that she didn't hurt herself or get herself into trouble. After all, once being adopted by the Hyuga, he became her elder "brother," and he was told that it was his job to care for her. He'd looked at her that first day thinking, _"This girl is so stupid and weak,"_ but Hinata wasn't stupid, and she was only as weak as she allowed herself to be. What was once an annoyance became ritual, and ritual became… well, something that Sasuke enjoyed. Her company was comfortable, because she talked no more than he did, and her presence was soothing in a way that he didn't understand.

Sasuke sighed again. "You really don't need to worry about me so much," he said. "I can take care of myself, and a few bad dreams aren't anything to make a big deal about."

"I know," she whispered, looking down at the mussed bedspread. He must have kicked it around in his sleep. "Here. I wasn't sure when to give this to you." She placed a small drawstring pouch on his nightstand. Curious, Sasuke reached over, and opened it. "They're tealeaves. My mother… she always told me that they helped with bad dreams. Drink it before bed, and the monsters will go away. That's what she used to tell me…."

Again, Sasuke sighed. How could he possibly hold a grudge against that? Had anyone else given him the tealeaves, he would have seen it as a threat - being the image upholding kind of guy that he was - and he would have been seriously pissed. He hated seeming weak, but when someone like Hinata was being considerate, how could he ever be mad at her?

"I could make you some now…" she said reluctantly. Hinata knew his nature well. She already knew that he hated seeming weak. "I thought about it before but… I wanted to check on you first."

"No, that's really not necessary, Hinata."

"But what about your bad dreams?" she persisted, with worry in her eyes. "You'll just keep having them, won't you? You wont get a wink of good sleep tonight…."

"What did your mother do when she didn't give you the tealeaves and you had a nightmare?" Sasuke asked, throwing her off. He knew that it was the kind of thing he would never have said to anyone else - not in such a way - but that was just showing how much Hinata was rubbing off on him.

"Well… she would sit beside me until I fell back asleep. Sometimes she would sing…."

He made a vague gesture as if to say _"well, that will do."_

"You want me to sit by you?" she whispered. He shrugged. "I will."

Like a caring mother (and he probably would have scoffed at anyone else doing this for him; as it was, he blushed) Hinata straightened the covers over him and pulled them up to his shoulders. While Sasuke lay there, he watched her in the darkness, but he doubted that she could see his eyes were open. Hinata hesitated, but then one of her pale hands touched his arm, and gently rubbed him in a comforting sort of gesture.

Sasuke closed his eyes. At least she didn't sing to him. He probably wouldn't have minded, really. But he felt like he was being babied, and he was so thankful that there was no one else around to witness his shame. He soon fell asleep to Hinata's soft touch stroking his arm. He didn't dream once, for the rest of the night.

* * *

Hinata watched and listened as Sasuke closed his eyes (because her excellent eyesight allowed her to see his face in the darkness), his breathing slowed, and became deep. He was sleeping again. And his eyes were not moving beneath their lids, which meant that he was not dreaming - for now. She stayed by his side for what must have been a full thirty minutes. Hinata was patient, and she would wait to make sure that his dreams did not continue before leaving.

As she left his room, she found herself thinking about the way he had been watching her. She'd never quite seen a look like that on his face before. What had he been thinking? Oh… it was so difficult for her to read people like him. Actually, it was difficult for her to read people at all, but with him it was worse. She felt like she was always stepping lightly around Sasuke, afraid that he would one day explode, like he did with so many other people. She was so careful not to do anything to make him angry - but she wanted to be able to care for him too.

Sasuke was the stubborn type - choosing pride over what was best for him. She didn't try to make decisions for him, or push him into anything. She just wanted to show him that life was easier if one just accepted it for what it was.

Surprising as it was, Hinata truly loved her big brother. She _did_ think of him as a brother - fully, not just one adopted. He was kinder to her. She liked to think that he was the rock that she clung to in the middle of a hurricane - whenever things were going badly, somehow he was always there to keep her feet on the ground and her head held high. Sasuke was strong, and she was weak. It was nice to have someone like him to cling to occasionally - though not so much literally clinging, as he probably wouldn't care too much for that.

She was lost in her own thoughts as she walked, barefoot, back to her bedroom, and that was why she did not even see Neji materialize out of the darkness in the hallway before her. He made her jump when his hands touched her arms to catch her attention. "Neji," she breathed.

He was looking at her curiously.

In many ways, Neji reminded her of Sasuke. In the way that Sasuke used to be indifferent toward her, Neji used to hate her, but now, he was kind to her. Or, at least, he did not completely loathe her. Sometimes, she was made to train with him, and he seemed to enjoy teaching her new things - in his own way. He was determined anyway. And he was starting to take his role of taking care of her seriously. He was of the Branch House of course, which meant that he lived to serve her - the daughter of the Main House. Hinata did not like the master-servant role that their clan forced upon them, but when Neji felt that he was bound to something, that something was his duty, there was no stopping him.

Sometime Neji and Sasuke trained together, but Hinata didn't like to be around during those times. They were much too aggressive with one another, and their fights were intense and frightening. She was always afraid that they were going to actually hurt one another.

"I saw you with him," Neji said, in his emotionless-Neji way. "What were you doing, Hinata? Sasuke Uchiha does not want to be _taken care of_ by our family. He's not really one of us."

"Not one of us?" she said, looking up into his Hyuga eyes. "He doesn't have to be born into the Hyuga to be one of us, Neji. Sasuke _needs_ a family. One to show him that you can trust the people you love."

Neji looked at her incredulously. "Don't you hear what you're saying?" he asked quietly, calmly. "If Sasuke were a woman, I'd say you're right, but he's just not that kind of guy Hinata. I have fought with him - and I know his true nature well. He will find strength on his own and move on when he's ready."

Hinata felt a stab of despair at his words. It was like her fears were finally being brought out into the open - that the care she showed for Sasuke was a waste, and he didn't need her. "You act as if the tragedy that happened with his family wasn't a big deal. What do you think you know about Sasuke true nature Neji? Just because you fought him…. " Hinata looked down at the floor in front of her feet. "Not everyone is as strong as they are in battle."

"And yet your nature is the same in battle or not." Hinata looked back up at him. Was he insulting her? And Neji inclined his head as if to say that he was not. "There is strength behind your pretty face whenever you want to show it. It is the same when you fight. You are only as strong as you want to be, Hinata, but you could be so much stronger." He started to walk away then, leaving her standing there in the darkness. "Think on what I've said."

* * *

The adoption of Sasuke Uchiha into the Hyuga family was… most definitely a complex situation. Nothing like it had happened in the history of the world for such a long, long time. Or, at least that was what the Hokage had said. One clan adopting the child of another was something that was certainly unheard of. Why would a clan ever give up one of their own to another? Clans like the Uchiha and the Hyuga show off their heirs and children and family members like prizes; pretty pieces to add to their collection, and rub in the faces of all the other clans out there. The stronger the child, the greater the reward, and reputation. Not even lesser clans would give up one of their own in such a manner.

However, when the entirety of the Uchiha clan was destroyed, it was a tragedy that the Leaf Village would remember for all of time. Itachi Uchiha fled the country, and eight year old Sasuke Uchiha was left on his own. Oh the child had plenty of money and the promise of power at his disposal - but also an empty house, and the reputation of a broken clan. He would forever be looked upon as the sole survivor of the terrible night that ended his clan's future. He was the only one not killed by the brother who had gone insane.

Itachi's wild night of slaughtering his own family members was a black mark on the Uchiha name to be sure, and everything that the clan stood for fell apart - dead with its members.

And yet there _was_ this one child, with nowhere left to go but back home, to a place that was no longer his home. The Hokage was a generous man. He was not the Hokage for nothing, as he was wise and kind to those who deserved it. He was a hard man, right up until the moment that he died, and anointed Tsunade as his successor. The night of the tragedy, he knew he had to move quickly.

Villagers had heard the screams, and the bodies had been found. And there was one lone child, crying even in unconsciousness, laid out with the dead. The Hokage took the boy to the heart of the Leaf Village, to his very office. He examined the boy himself, and found nothing physically wrong with him other than the fact that he was unconscious. He was just about to have the boy cleaned up by the medic-nin who were waiting outside his office, when Sasuke awoke.

He must have felt the warmth of the fireplace on his skin, but it did not seem to reach his pale features. Sasuke was unresponsive when the Hokage questioned him. The medic-nin said that he was numb - it was a condition that many people retreated to after something terrible happened to them. The mind protects itself.

Sasuke was given clean clothes and something warm to eat, but he neither accepted nor rejected either. He was simply there, an eight year old who had seen far too much, sitting like a lifeless doll on the Hokage's chair.

It was not until some time well in the night, when Sasuke was sleeping quietly on a cot usually reserved for the Hokage himself on nights when he was working late, that the Hokage finally came up with the idea. So yes, he knew he had to move fast - Sasuke needed somewhere healthy to recover from this night of disaster, as quickly as possible. What he needed was somewhere familiar, but comforting, in an atmosphere that he was accustomed to, with the kind of people he really knew. The Hyuga clan was the one other outstanding clan in Konoha. Like the Uchiha, they were powerful and wealthy, and they had a lot of influence over the Council.

The Hokage summoned Hiashi Hyuga - the head of the Hyuga clan. This was some years after the incident in which Hiashi's brother - Hizashi - traded his own life for that of his brother's. Hiashi understood tragedies of his own, which made the situation somewhat better - in a disheartening way. Hiashi was incredulous at his proposition, of course, but the Hokage persuaded until he made the man listen.

Every clan dreams of having a powerful heir to pass the family name to. Hiashi had never had sons - only daughters - and his nephew Neji, of the Branch House, already surpassed the both of them. The Hokage did not mention these details, but he could see them playing out in Hiashi's mind as the man considered. A few times, those violet eyes wandered to where Sasuke was sleeping, likely a troubled sleep, on the Hokage's cot.

It took much more persuasion for the man to finally agree, but when the light of dawn appeared in the sky outside of the Hokage's window, the deal had finally been made. Sasuke woke, and for a moment he was disoriented. But when the boy looked up at the Hokage, the old man knew that he knew. The look in Sasuke's eyes was something that would haunt the Hokage for the rest of his years - that heart shattering, knowing look of an eight year old who knew that his family was dead, and that someone he had loved dearly just the day before was the cause of it.

Hiashi had held out his arm for the boy, and in a short matter of days, it was done. Sasuke was to be a part of the Hyuga clan now - still an Uchiha by his own rights, still with all his wealth and power, but he had a family again. Hinata and Hanabi were to be his younger sisters - by the Hokage's suggestion, it was Sasuke's job to care for the two girls as if they were truly his blood sisters. It was the elder brother's duty, and it would give Sasuke something to do to keep his mind from all the pain.

From what the Hokage heard in the weeks following, Sasuke was still not doing well. He had adjusted, somewhat, to his new location and family - because it was the kind of large, luxurious home that he was used to, surrounded by clan members who could be called family - but his mind had seemed to die with his heart. He was still strong, still smart. But he had lost motivation, and kept to himself for much of the time. Yes, he was sticking with Hinata and Hanabi, as he was directed, though mostly just Hinata, since Hanabi was the type to revolt against such a thing. He did what he was told without question or comment, but his heart wasn't in anything that he did.

Not that such a trivial matter was cause for alarm to Hiashi of course. The man was proud of Sasuke's strength. He thought that the boy's silence meant that he was already moving on, getting past the tragedy and continuing his life. He would be an asset to the Hyuga clan's Main House most definitely. The Hokage supposed that he should be pleased that the Hyuga were taking to Sasuke so quickly - it was what he had wanted, and yet… something about the situation was wrong. He felt it in his bones. Sasuke had found his place in this world since the destruction of his family, and that was a truly miraculous thing, but would he ever find love when he was bonded to the Hyuga in such a cold way?

The Hokage knew, Sasuke would allow himself to be one the Hyuga clan's many trophies. Sasuke would be displayed as the adopted son, the heir of the Hyuga, next to Hinata and Hanabi of course - the survivor of a strong and wealthy clan, adopted and refurbished by yet another strong and wealthy clan. Sasuke would allow it, he would accept his duties and his place. But it seemed like such an empty title. The Hokage only hoped that Sasuke would find love and compassion somewhere in his world, something that would steer him from the path of strictly what was right, and onto the path that he would truly _want_.

Oh how little the Hokage could know about Sasuke's future. If only that man could see into the future, to know how that fateful, possible happy ending would spin out. He might have died happy, glad to know that Sasuke would indeed find that love that the old man had wanted for him.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Is Just To Love, and Be Loved In Return...**_

_**Chapter Two**_

_**A/N: **This chapter ended up being much shorter than I wanted it to be. I would have written more for it, but I wanted it up following the first as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy it anyway, and chapter three should be up soon. Also, chapter titles will be added later._

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha was fifteen years old when Naruto Uzumaki entered his life. As Genin, they were assigned to their teams of three, and as it happened, Sasuke ended up with the pink haired fanatic and the stupid blonde dobe. Oh yes, the team was just an annoyance at first - but then, if you remember, Hinata was also an annoyance to Sasuke at first, and he had grown to love her. Sakura never shut up, and neither did Naruto. Sakura clung to him and squealed and fainted a lot. Naruto wore blindingly bright orange clothing and was far too energetic and confident for his actual abilities.

When was it that the three of them had really, finally bonded? When did the three of them become friends? When did they _really_ learn to trust one another with their lives? Sasuke couldn't say for sure. But by the time he was eighteen, he knew that he and Naruto and Sakura would share this bond for the rest of their lives - no matter if they grew apart, or stayed together, or moved on to other things. Sakura became an apprentice medic-nin under the watchful eye of Tsunade, the Hokage, and Naruto and Sasuke grew to become successful fully fledged Jonin - Elite Ninja.

It was a long time after their first C rank mission, when Naruto had seen Sasuke nearly die right before his eyes, before Sasuke realized what had happened in those moments after he'd lost consciousness. He found out about the nine tailed fox - the Kyuubi - inside of Naruto, because Naruto had chosen to tell him. He hadn't had to, but he'd confided in Sasuke his deepest, most painful secret.

It took a while for Sasuke to realize the extent of the situation - what having the Kyuubi inside him really meant for Naruto. The boy was just as alone as he was in the world - he'd lost his family, and come to find out that the reason why the world rejected him was because he had a beast in his belly.

Life had been just as harsh to Naruto as it had been to Sasuke. For a long, long time, Sasuke had only seen other people's tragedies as mere trifling - petty even. Because he was always comparing other people to himself. You think _you've _got it bad? At least you're not Sasuke Uchiha. That was what he would think, every time a girl claimed it was the end of her world whenever he turned her down, or anytime someone complained. When Sasuke finally realized how truly alike he and Naruto were, it was a shock that shook his world.

Hinata was the one that helped him see past the fog of _"my life is more tragic than yours, so your troubles mean nothing."_ One day, he found himself complaining to her, as he often did. Sasuke did not really like that about himself, that he complained to her so much, but Hinata always listened, and she always gave it her all to help him. He knew that he was being selfish, taking advantage of her generous nature, but she made it difficult not to confide in her. Usually, she ended up steering him in that direction herself. She wanted to hear his problems, wanted to help him… but that didn't make him feel like any less of an annoying prick. If he were Hinata - or, if anyone else was Hinata for that matter - he would have told himself to shut up a long time ago.

So as he complained about Naruto and how much he'd hated him at the time, Hinata had finally asked, why did Sasuke really hate him so much for being what he was?

Sasuke had scoffed and said something he regretted after that. "You only stick up for him because you like him so much."

Hinata had immediately blushed all the way up to her hairline. Hearing such harsh words from her older "brother," tears began to well up in her eyes as well. And that was when Sasuke really started feeling like a prick. "I'm sorry Hinata… I didn't mean to say that…."

But she just shook her head and said, "That's alright," wiping the few tears away with her finger. Jeez, why did Sasuke have to fuck everything up? Everyone knew about how much Hinata liked Naruto - except for Naruto himself, of course - but that didn't give him the right to rub it in her face. When would he finally become the older "brother" than Hinata would be proud to have? He felt like he wasn't even close at the time.

But when he told Hinata that it seemed like Naruto wanted to be pitied, and that was why Sasuke didn't like him, she disagreed. She strongly disagreed. It was the first time he'd ever seen her really put her back up to him - and she'd done it without him coaxing her into it. She said, "Naruto-kun is not the kind of person who wants to be pitied. He… he wants to be _loved_. He wants to be cared about. If you think he annoys you on purpose, he probably does… but he doesn't mean anything bad by it."

Hinata huffed a little, and looked down at her feet as she winded down a little. They were sitting on the wall surrounding the village together, and she was letting her legs dangle over the edge. "Sasuke-kun, do you really believe that no one else deserves sympathy, just because your life is worse than theirs?" Her quiet words had stung him then. Hinata always had a way of seeing to the heart of things, and it never failed to catch him off guard. "Naruto-kun has had it rough too. And so has Sakura-san, and so has a lot of other people. If you looked a little closer, just a little bit farther, beneath the surface of everything… you would understand that everyone has their own tragedies. Everyone has had a bad experience. Some people learn to move on, but those bad things never really go away."

So that was how it happened. Hinata had always had a way of opening up Sasuke's eyes for him. She probably didn't realize it, though. And when Naruto told Sasuke about the Kyuubi, the Uchiha thought back on that conversation he had had with his "sister," so long ago. Her words were still sharp in his memory, and he felt guilt about how harsh he had always been to his friend. Because, yes, Naruto had become Sasuke's friend. One of his closest friends.

Sasuke thought, Hinata and Naruto would make a good match. Hinata had never quite abandoned that old love she'd had for the blonde boy. Sometimes Sasuke could still see it in her face whenever they talked about him. He knew that she had tried to give up the cause for hopeless, had tried so hard to convince herself that it could never happen. But she'd never really managed to shake it off.

The two of them had the same sort of insight - the way of looking at each new day in a way that fascinated and confused Sasuke. He loved that about the two of them - and Naruto's optimistic, hyperactive self would balance out Hinata's shyness fairly well. She would teach him to reserve himself a bit, and he would teach her how to have fun - something that Sasuke had certainly never managed to do, for either of them.

And yet, the thought of them being together made Sasuke feel hollow - and then selfish, for feeling that way at all. If they could be a good match, if they could be happy together, then that was what he should want for the both of them, right? But he somehow felt like, if Hinata and Naruto got together, then he would be forgotten about. If he were ever around the two of them, he would be only a third wheel. Kami knew that Hinata deserved her prince charming, and that a quiet girl like Hinata was what Naruto really needed… but Sasuke didn't want to be left behind. He wanted to be able to care about them both, and be cared about in return. And whenever the thoughts of them being together crept up into his mind, the cold flare of jealousy rose up in his stomach, making him feel sick.

Sasuke himself had never had any romantic interests, of course. He'd never even thought about it. He simply didn't want - or need - a girlfriend, no matter how many fangirls threw themselves at his feet. He never really found himself thinking that anyone was attractive, or even that he liked somebody in a idealistic way any more than he did anybody else (which was none at all, of course). Interest wasn't even in his vocabulary - not even when Hinata playfully suggested that he needed a woman in his life other than her and Sakura.

It wasn't until the two of them were eighteen years old, that any hope they could have had for finding their own relationships, completely dissipated. Sasuke and Hinata were called in to see their father - Sasuke's adopted "father," Hiashi. Sasuke probably should have seen it coming - as well as Hinata. She was the heiress, and he was the heir, of two very well-known and powerful clans. Sasuke had known the drill, once upon a time, but since the death of his family he'd thought that the situation of a marriage being arranged for him was something that was no longer in store for him.

How wrong he was.

"Hinata, Sasuke," Hiashi greeted the two of them, nodding his head to each as he addressed them. "I suppose you have at least some vague inclination of why I called you in here?" Sasuke and Hinata shared wondering looks, and turned back to their father, obviously clueless. The man let out a heavy sigh. "Well then that only makes this worse. Have a seat." He waved at a servant to pour the two of them tea.

Sasuke and Hinata reluctantly sat across from Hiashi at the table. The man gestured for them to drink their tea, and they took small sips, the both of them too curious to really care for it. As for Sasuke, he had a bad feeling about the situation, and from the look on Hinata's face, she did as well.

"Two candidates have been chosen for the both of you."

"Candidates?" Hinata asked, and her voice came out as a whisper. That bad feeling washed over Sasuke, and made his veins cold. Hiashi really didn't need to say anymore. He knew what was coming.

"Yes," Hiashi confirmed, and he turned to Sasuke first. "Sasuke. You will be wed to Sakura Haruno." _Sakura?_ Sasuke gaped at the man. _Why Sakura?_ "You know that her family runs a small, but almost successful business; a humble pharmaceutical company. There is potential - great amounts of it - but they do not have the means to reach that potential. Perhaps it is time that someone more able had a hand in. I'm thinking that if we, the Hyuga, acquire this business through marriage, the rewards would be nothing for us but beneficial. You can give this to us Sasuke."

Without any other say-so, Hiashi turned to his daughter. This was the way it was supposed to be, but it didn't keep Sasuke from feeling completely unhinged by the whole thing. He should have seen it coming, and, had he not been adopted into the Hyuga, he would have. "Hinata. For you we have decided something that will be beneficial for the Hyuga twofold. _You_ will be wed to Neji - your cousin."

_Neji?!_ Sasuke looked sharply from Hiashi's stone cold face to Hinata's pale and stricken one. Marriage between cousins was not unheard of in Japan - far from it - but _Neji?_ As far as Sasuke was concerned, the guy had zero compassion and was totally the wrong sort of person for Hinata. Honestly, _how_ could Hiashi have chosen _Neji_, of all people?

"By tying the Branch House and the Main House together through marriage, we will be able to unite the two. Finally, a single, strong House to rule the Hyuga clan. It has always been a dream, far out of our reach and never realized. There will be no more need for any curse mark. Any child the two of you bear will not have to endure serving or being served at the point of death." He paused for just a moment.

Hinata was crying silently, and in Sasuke's most secret of hearts, it shattered him to see her this way. She was pale, and she was trembling. She was scared, and there was nothing he could do. This was such a terrible thing to put on her shoulders - a burden that fragile Hinata could not stand. Why would Hiashi do this to his daughter?

"Hinata. My daughter. Look up at me, please." Reluctantly, and sobbing quietly, she did as she was told. "You have the chance to give our clan peace. No other child after you will be made to suffer as you and Neji have suffered. Don't you want that for your future children?" He watched her for a moment more, but Hinata did not answer. She simply lowered her face and continued to cry.

Hiashi took a deep breath. "Neji and Sakura Haruno have both already been informed. It has been decided, and it will be done. These two marriages are nonnegotiable. I'm afraid that neither of you have any say in the matter." He paused again, running the tips of his fingers around the edge of his teacup. "An arranged marriage can be a heavy burden to bear. But it is what is expected of you, it is for the better of the clan, and I believe that if one does his duties willingly, if one commits, then one day, one will find happiness.

"Hinata, you may leave. Spend some time with yourself. You do not have to face Neji yet. Sasuke, you will stay."

Sasuke watched with a silently breaking heart as his sister left the room, with silent tears streaming down her face, and a look of determination that only made things worse. Hiashi hardly waited for her to be out of the room before he began to speak. "Sasuke, I imagine that you did not expect this, because you are my adopted son and not truly a blood relative. However, blood or not, you _are _a part of the Hyuga clan, and you _will_ do your duties to strengthen this family."

Sasuke was already nodding. "Yes, I understand that," he interrupted. Honestly, he did understand. As a child he'd known that this would happen, and as he couldn't find any romantic interest for himself, an arranged marriage was really not such a burden for him. "I know my duties, and I will fulfill them gladly." Even if it was to _Sakura_. Sakura, of _all_ people. "But… Hinata…." Sasuke shook his head in disdain. He felt his heart breaking all over again.

"Hinata knows her duty as well as you do," Hiashi said.

"I know, but…. How could you do this too her?"

"And what would you have me do?" Hiashi demanded. "Allow her to chase after that Uzumaki boy for the rest of her life?" That shut Sasuke up for a minute. He stared up at his adoptive father in surprise. "Yes, even I know about her little crush. But I will not see my daughter waste her life on some nobody who is not even interested in her. Naruto Uzumaki has no social standing, nothing to his name but a bad reputation and a monster in his stomach. He will be no son-in-law of mine."

"It doesn't just have to be Naruto!" Sasuke said loudly over the man's voice, and it was Hiashi's turn to look surprised. Sasuke really hadn't meant to get so on the defensive, but Naruto had become someone that he cared about. He would not allow Hiashi to talk about him as if he were trash. "Doesn't your daughter have the right to chose someone for herself?"

Hiashi shook his head. "I believe that Hinata and Neji can find happiness with one another - or at least contentment. Let me tell you about my experiences, my son. I, being the elder brother, had an arranged marriage, and I learned to love. I had always expected my brother to do well in life, even for a Branch member. However, by choosing a wife as lowly as even Naruto Uzumaki, he left nothing behind but their child, and a bad name. He ended his life the same way he'd been born into it - a servant, and Branch member and nothing any more significant than that. A bad marriage, even one that is what you'd call 'natural,' can destroy your life in ways that _you_ don't understand."

"But-"

"It is done!" the man shouted. "And I've had enough of your protests. You've been given your duties, now you may leave me."

For a moment, Sasuke was seeing red. Hiashi had always been kind to him in the past, or at least, he had never been openly malicious. He had never given Sasuke any reason to be angry with him before. Now, Sasuke felt an anger that he could not explain. A man who would trade his own daughter, to make a good name for the family, sacrificing her happiness and her own chances at love…. A man like that was nobody whom Sasuke wanted to call his father.

As he stormed out of the room, Hiashi said, quieter, not as harsh, "Find Hinata. Cheer her up. But prepare her for what she's got to do. There is no stopping it, and it would only be cruel to be giving her false hope."


End file.
